TV icons Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen share an enviable friendship that they have cultivated for over two decades. The pair became known for their antics on New Year’s Eve after hosting CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live, whichled to a rumored alcohol ban on the CNN show. Andy is primarily known for his dedication to reality TV, which Anderson happily partakes in with him from time to time.
New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper And Andy Cohen has become a yearly highlight for some since it started in 2017, as it sees the two hosts giggling, downing shots, and causing controversy with their snarky humor. However, the duo are much more than just on-screen buddies. They have supported each other through major life events and have been honest about their contributions in each other’s lives.
Anderson Cooper And Andy Cohen Nearly Dated
Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper met in the 1990s when a mutual friend tried to set the duo up on a blind date. While the date never happened, Anderson would call up Andy and chat with him on the phone. The two hosting icons would later meet on vacation and become friends.
During a 2017 appearance on The Tonight Show, Anderson and Andy told the story about how they met. Andy Cohen was working for CBS at the time, and Anderson Cooper was an ABC reporter.
“We had a phone call to set up the date, and I knew within 45 seconds I was never going on a date with Andy Cohen,” Anderson told Jimmy Fallon. “He violated my cardinal rule, which is he asked me about my mom [Gloria Vanderbilt] within the first minute of talking to me.”
Celebrity | Place of Work |
Anderson Cooper | Primarily, CNN and CBS |
Andy Cohen | Primarily, Bravo and NBC |
“I wanted to date the Vanderbilt boy! I was excited!” Andy laughed, although he later told EW he had “no regrets for how it worked out.” Anderson ended up canceling the date, but luckily, that was not the end of their friendship.
In a 2015 interview with the Atlanta Jewish Times, Andy jokes that he was “too high energy” for Anderson during their first encounter. “I was kind of ready to have the date — I thought he sounded interesting — but it never happened.”
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Romance will not be on the cards for these two anytime soon. During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show in 2022, Andy confirmed their relationship is not based on any romance. “We’re just friends [and] that’s not a part of it. I think, at this point, we know each other too well. We’re not attracted to each other in that way.”
Anderson Cooper And Andy Cohen Became Vacation Buddies
The pair would later come into each other’s lives years through a mutual friend. Anderson and Andy revealed in a 2017 interview with the New York Times that they both knew businessman Barry Diller and “wound up” in the same friend group, who would regularly vacation together.
“I remember going up some waterway in a slow-moving boat, talking to you, sort of entranced. Andy, even before he was on TV, was the life of the party,” Anderson told the outlet. Andy told Entertainment Weekly that the pair became friends “after going around the world and back together.”
We started traveling together with a group of friends who traveled together. Really the way we became friends is he and I have been around the world and back together. We’ve really been around the world together.
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The pair still vacation together and regularly post Instagram images on the beach. In 2020, during the global pandemic, Andy made fun on Instagram about their usual holiday photos. “If it were a normal year, I’d be on vacation with my pal…threatening to post shirtless pics of him. Well, it’s 2020 and I’m sitting on my deck so I figured I’d just post without asking and p**d him off!”
Andy Cohen And Anderson Cooper’s Working Relationship
Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper’s relationship is more than just going on vacation together. The pair supported each other at work, with Anderson even appearing on Andy’s late-night talk show, Watch What Happens Live.
He made his first appearance on Andy’s Bravo talk show, Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, in 2010, alongside The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s NeNe Leakes. He has since made numerous appearances on Andy’s show.
When the The Real Housewives producer released his second book, it was Anderson whom he asked to interview him. “It was a wonderful night. We have really nice chemistry. … It isn’t good enough to date, but we’ve got great chemistry,” Andy told the Atlanta Jewish Times.
In October 2017, it was announced that Andy would be joining Anderson to host CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live broadcast. The pairing came about after CNN chose to cut ties with Kathy Griffin.
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- Their NYE broadcasts have become legendary, with Andy usually becoming “overserved” and over-energetic.
- In 2021, Andy had to apologize for slamming Ryan Seacrest’s ABC show, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, calling it a “group of losers.”
“The only thing that I regret saying, the only thing is that I slammed the ABC broadcast,” he said on Radio Andy thereafter. “And I really like Ryan Seacrest, and he’s a great guy, and I really regret saying that, and I was just stupid and drunk and feeling it.”
Anderson Cooper And Andy Cohen Now Bond Over Fatherhood
Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen’s relationship only got stronger when they became fathers. Both men have two children, born via surrogate. The duo frequently spend time with each other’s little ones, going on playdates and calling each other uncle.
Anderson Cooper’s Children | Andy Cohen’s Children |
Wyatt Morgan Cooper (2020) | Ben Cohen (2019) |
Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper (2022) | Lucy Cohen (2022) |
Speaking with Bruce Bozzi on a 2022 episode of Table for Two podcast, Andy Cohen confirmed how his friendship with Anderson Cooper was stronger since they both entered fatherhood. “We are these geriatric patients hobbling around chasing our children, but look it’s another bonding thing,” he told the podcast host.
I think what is going to be really interesting to us, as it develops, is being gay dads and as our kids start realizing more and more ‘Oh I have gay dads.’
The dad of two continued, “I am so glad that Ben [Cohen] will grow up with Wyatt [Cooper] and that Ben will grow up seeing Anderson and Benjamin [Maisani] raising Wyatt and Sebastian.”
In an emotional virtual 2020 episode of WWHL, the duo celebrated Father’s Day by introducing their sons to each other via the webcam. “That’s gonna be your good buddy and we’re gonna travel together. And if you like him half as much as I like his daddy, you’re gonna be great friends,” Andy adorably explained.
“I just wanted to say, you are such a great dad,” Andy told the journalist while hosting CNN’s New Year’s Eve special in December 2023, Us Weekly notes “You’re such an attentive [father]. I really marvel [at] watching you with the kids. You’re so present, it’s really great.”
Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen
- Release Date
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July 16, 2009
- Network
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NBC
